Device for suspending towels, drying cloths, and other objects



A. A. TERRY Aug. 15, 1933.

DEVICE FOR SUSPENDING TOWELS, DRYING CLOTHS, AND OTHER OBJECTS Filed May27, 1931 Patented Aug. 15, 1933 UNITED, STA

a 'DEVIGE roa SIl SPENDIN G TOWELS, DRY- ING CLOTHSyAND o'rmm OBJECTSAlbert Augustus Terry, Middle Brighton, Victoria,

' Australia 1 Application May 27, 1931, Serial 190,540,4 1, and inAustralia February 16, 1931 ,7

11 Claims. (01. 211-89) The primary object of this invention is toprovide simple, inexpensive and eflicient means whereby towels, dryingcloths and such like articles may be securely suspended in such manneras to facilitate drying thereof and to permit quick and easy removal ofthe articles when so desired. I

A device according to the invention enables towels, cloths and such likearticles to be readily suspended from one or more points in such mannerthat they are proof against inadvertent removal or from removal bypulling the suspended articles downwardly or outwardly. The suspends edarticles may, however, beremoved very easily when so desired. Inaddition to facilitating the drying of the articles the invention hasthe fur ther advantage that the articles mayl be suspendedin a tidymanner.

The invention is particularly well adapted for 4 use in bathrooms,bedrooms and kitchens for as in factories, workshops and'stores foranal-,

ogous purposes, and in fact wherever it isdesired to, provide for theready and secure suspension of textile, fabrics-or like articles and thequick and easy detachmentthereof when so desired. The term towel recitedhereinafter and in the claims is intended to include the articlesmentioned above.

this specification:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device for suspending towelsand'other articles in accordmice with this invention;

Figure 2 is an end view on an enlarged scale of the device.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary-elevation, looking at the rear ofthe deviceand showing a manner of suspending a towel or the like there-Figure 4 is a vertical section on line IV IV of Figure 3. I

Figure 5 is a front elevation of a device accordv 4 ingto amodification;

Figure 6 is a cross section of the device seen in Figure 5.

A device in accordance with this invention comprises a front-member 2adapted for attachement to a wall, table, shelf or other suitable objectso as to extend lengthwisein a substantially horizontal attitude, thismember, or theupper edge or portion'thereof, being of somewhat zig-zag rform having a series of' longitudinally spaced sallents, tongues 01''like portions 3 with upwardly 1 Referring to the drawing which formspart ofv will only increase the wedge like; gripping effect produced bythe flexible line and the inclined sides of the tongues on thecorner'portions 11a of the convergingside edges 4, the tongues beingseparated by gaps 6 of V or like form.,

Extending substantially horizontally behind the member 2 and'against oradjacent the rear thereof so as to intersect said tongues or likeportions 3' and the intervening gaps 6 intermediately of their height ordepth is a flexible line 7 such as a length of wire, cord, twine, tapeor the like, which is connected at its ends as at 8 to the end portionsof the member 2. Theflexible line 7 may be moderately taut so that itwill not sag beneath. the bottoms of the gaps 6 or the roots of thetongues3 of the front member.

7 The front member} Should preferably beapplied to its supporting.structure so that it is spaced therefrom. 4 1 I To suspend a'towel,cloth or such like article 11 from the device, the corner portions 11aat one side or end of the article may be applied from the front of thedevice so as to extend first rearwardly over the flexible line "I atlongitudinally spaced intervals thereof aligned with two of said gaps fiin the front member, and then downwardly andjforwardly in front .of thedevice as indicated more clearly at the left hand side of Figure'l andin Figure 4. It will be found, that the top corner portions (forthe timebeing) of a the article will be effectuallyheld by and between the"flexible line '7 and the inclined sides 4 of the tongues ofthefrontmember; and that pulling downwardly and/or forwardly upon the articlearticle. The article may thusbe retained suspended in a spread orunfurled attitude as indicated" at theleft of Figure 1, which is mostconducive to drying, of the article.

[It will be obvious however that a considerable number of articles maybe simultaneously releases thewedge like grip produced by the flexibleline 7 and'the tapered tongues3 and entirely frees the article from thedevice.

:According to' the preferred constructional form 'the front'memberiscomposedv of wire of appropriate gauge as in Figures 1 to4 suitablyshaped into. substantially zig-zagform having a contour 2 and issuitably secured thereto, as by spot welding it to the roots of thetongues 3. reinforcing member has turned back end per; tions formingbrackets 18 terminating in eye lets 19 to pass screws or the like forattaching the device to a supporting structure."

one or more intermediate supporting braclrets 18a each consisting of alength of wire secured to the front member preferably at or adj acentthetop oi one 'of the tongues 3. The intermediate bracket alsoprevents1theline '7- from being accidental- 1y raised over the top of-the tonguesand inter-- fer ing wi'ththe' attachment of a towel .or the like to thedevice; In this embodiment, the connections between the ends ofthe line7 and the front member 2 com-prise loops 21 one ateach endof the linewhich'ireely encircle the adjacent verj-' tical portions 16 of themember 2.. Each of these'vertical portions 16 may'besprovided with apair ofvertically spaced stops 22 to thereby lit-nit the verticalmovements of the end portions ofthe" line; Byproviding for this limitedvertical movement of the end portions of theline '7 it is ensured thatthe'desiredwedging action may beobtained between the end portions of theline and the end tongues so that towels or the like may be readilysuspended from the end tongues as well as the intermediate tongues. 7

According' to the modification illustrated in Figuresb and- 6, the frontmember may be in the form'of a comparatively'thi-nelongated strip 2a ofwood, sl'ieetmetal compressed flbrousmaterial or other suitable'materialorcomposition, having its upper portion recessed'or cutaway to -form thetongues 3a with upwardly converging side edges aan'd interveningigaps Goas aforesaid.

The tips 3 b of the tongues should preferably-be flattened or rounded.Such 'strips can be produ'ced ver'yf economically by mjuttingfstamping,

moulding or other methods.-

Brackets or distance pieces iszi'may" be pro videdat the ends of thestrip Zd to facilitate its attachment to a wall, table, shelf or'othe'rsuitable support. and to ensuite that the strip is spaced sufiicientlyclear ofthesup ert.

'lfi'he line 7 extends longitudinally behind the strip 2a" approximatelymidway of the heightof the tongues 3a and may be adaptedat its oppositeendstopass freely through vertical slots 23in the strip therebypermittinglimited ve rtical move- I ,ment of the end portionsof theline; Each end of the line may be provided with anenlargement 24 toprevent its withdrawal from the. respective slot.

Having now described my invention what I :claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patentisz' 1.'A towel rack comprising a front memberadapted for attachment to a supporting structure and having a series oflongitudinally spaced up- :stahding salients or tongues having upwardlyconverging side'edges and separated by gaps, and

, a flexible line extending longitudinally behind said front member insuch a plane as to intersect said tongues and said gaps intermediatelyof their saidsupport;

spaced forwardly therefrom, said member havheight, said flexible linecooperating with the tongues to retain a towel therebetween.

'2. A device as claimed in claim wherein said flexible line is connectedto the end portions of the end portions of said line are capable oflimited movement in a substantially vertical direction.

4.,A device as claimed in claim 1 and includ ing'brac'ltets' or' armsextending rearwardly from The front member 2 may also be provided withsaid front member for retaining it to a suitable ii l l flling'structureiin forwardly spaced relahorizontally, said-front member havinga series of longitudinally spaced upstanding .salie nts or tongues withupwardly converging'side edges providingbetween the tongues gaps of.substantially Vform, and, a flexible line extending substantiallyhorizontally, proximity to the rear face of said front memberintermediately of the height of said tongues and said gaps, saidflexible line cooperating with the tongues to retain a toweltherebetween.

, 6. A towelrackcomprising a member com- 1 posed of wireand having aseriesof longitudinally spaced upstanding tongueswithupwardly coneverging sides forming-between'the tongues gaps of substantially y form,said member being adapted for attachment to a supporting structure soas; to extend substantially horizontally-and a flexible line extendinglongitudinally behindf said first member intermediatelyof the height of;said tongues-and cooperating with the tongues to retaina toweltherebetween. I

7.; A; device as claimed; in claim Sand having a [reinforcing memberextending; longitudinally of saidfirst mentioned member and secured tosaid tongues at or near: their lower ends-.; I

8. A towel rack comprising a member composed of wire shaped: tosubstantially zig-zag form having a series of longitudinally spacedupstanding tongues with upwardly converging sides forming. between thetongues gaps of substantially V form,

rearwardly extending portionsat; the ends of said I 1 memberforretaining it in forwardly spaced relationship to a support, and aflexible line extending substantially horizontally and in proxunity tothe rear of said member intermediately of the-height 1 of said tonguesadaptedto c ooperate with the tongues to grip a towel, and a memberextend-ingrearwardly from the upper portion of one of said tonguesandattachable to 9. A device as claimed in claim Sand ha-Ving a 3 Treinforcing member extending longitudinally of the zig-zag member andsecured to said tongues at or near their lower, ends;

10:=A-device of the character described comprising a member composedofwire having a series oflongitudinally spacedvupstanding tongues withupwardly converging sides forming between the tongues gaps of;substantially V form means retaining saidmemberto a support so that; it

ing a substantially vertical portion at each end,

a reinforcing member extending longitudinally of the first mentionedmember and secured to said tongues near their lower ends, saidreinforcing member terminating at its ends in rearwardly projectingportions forming brackets for retaining the device to a supportingstructure.

ALBERT A. TERRY.

